


Chocolate Kiss

by airamcg



Series: Diliman U [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Emotional Infidelity, F/F, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Philippine Setting, Real Life Setting, Religious Family, Rupphire Bomb 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 16:16:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4794071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airamcg/pseuds/airamcg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I just want you to be happy, " she mumbles against my chest. "All this pretending, the double life you force yourself to live with... I hate it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chocolate Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> [This can also be found in my nifty new tumblr.](http://run-on-lightning.tumblr.com/post/129036122572/story-chocolate-kiss-human-au)

 

 

 

[ _Pick u up @ 7, k? Luv u._ ]

 

I shove my cell phone back in my pocket as Ruby pushes open the glass door. Stringed music and the chatter of other patrons wash over me and, as a waiter welcomes us, I can't help grinning from ear to ear. Ruby gives me a courteous bow when I followed her in, addressing me with a “Welcome, honored princess!” in a fake falsetto. I roll my eyes at her.

“Only say that if you're willing to be my sexy maid, Miss Malaya.” I put an index finger on my lips and wink at her. She chuckles at that, before taking my hand in hers.

“No way. That'll be the end of my crossplaying days,” she says.

We naturally drift to the farthest table from the entrance. It's by a windowed corner near the cake counter and has a good view of Central's well-lighted facade. No one else sits there on Tuesday evenings, although that's probably our fault.

“You know, sometimes I wish Kevin was more like you.”

“You want him to crossdress too?”

I snort at the idea. Kevin dela Cruz is my childhood friend and the sort of guy who'd vomit at the very thought of crossdressing; which put us at odds with each other when he discovered that Ruby and I often cosplay as gay lovers in conventions. Thankfully, he hasn't told anyone about it, but I know he calls Ruby 'the devil who corrupted Sapphire' when he thinks I'm not listening. He's actually my boyfriend, but only in name. What we have is the sort of relationship that came about because his parents and my parents think it's a good idea if we got married. Everyone agrees to it, only because no one bothers to ask my opinions nowadays.

“Was he the one who texted you earlier?" Ruby pries as we take our seats. "I bet it was another one of his 'You're the most wonderful girlfriend, I love you <3' messages. Have you ever tried counting how many times he sends that in a day?”

“Ruby...” I manage to say through the barrage of laughter that exploded out of me. I'm still in tears when the waiter hands us a pair of menus.

“Good evening, Ma'am Sapphire, Ma'am Ruby. Would you like to order something different tonight or would it be the usual?”

“I'm getting tired of cheesecake,” I mumble as I scrutinize the desserts. “Maybe I'll have some Devil's Food Cake for later. And some Earl Grey, please.”

“I'll have the usual, thanks.”

I return the menus to him and settle back to facing Ruby. She has propped her chin on her palm, half-covering her smiling lips. Her eyes are twinkling, probably from Central's lights, or at least I think they are. I absently note that the band is playing her favorite song, Waiting In Vain. I can write off her dreaminess to that, but I still raise an eyebrow at her.

“What are you grinning at? Is there something on my face?”

“What time is your dad gonna pick you up?” she asks without changing her expression or missing a beat, as if what she just said is an appropriate response.

“Seven. But knowing him, it means he'll leave the pastoral meeting at seven.”

“Noooo! Pray, I won't burn in the presence of Pastor Dimasupil's holiness!” she theatrically declares while doing an impression of The Scream. Then she mimics the motions of an exorcism from foreign movies, using her fork and a saltshaker as tools. I laugh so hard, my fist banging on the table, all manners forgotten.

“H-He doesn't act like that," I gasp out when the guffaws subside. "And my father's not that scary."

“Coming from the girl who puts her Bible and lesbian erotica in the same drawer, I must admit that's not very reassuring.”

The phone in my pants vibrates, making me jump. I fish it out to check who's calling. “Ugh, it's Kevin. Sorry.”

Ruby gestures a "go ahead." So I tap the answer button and stand up out of habit. “What is it? No, I'm still at school. Dad's picking me up. Can't, I have to do my homework.” The call cuts off abruptly. I pull the phone away from my ear, only to realize my cheek must have pressed against the touch screen and dropped the call. I scowl as I sit back down.

“You have a scary face whenever you're on the phone with him,” comments Ruby, still not moving from her chin-on-palm pose.

“Sorry for having a loose mask.” I shrug.

“Why don't you just break up with him?”

My phone vibrates in my hand. This time, I answer the call without waiting for Ruby's permission.

“Sorry, pressed a wrong button. What is it? Saturday? Couldn't you have just texted me about that or something? No, I have choir practice that day. I'm hanging up now. Well I'm having dinner with a friend, so... I said I'm having dinner with a friend. No, not that guy.  _Ruby._ Want to talk with her to make sure? I'm sure she won't mind, though. Fine. Bye.”

I huff, and then drop my phone on the table, screen down. Ruby is staring at me the whole time.

“He's jealous, huh?”

“It's uncalled for,” I say, my fingers rapping against the table.

She shrugs. “I think it makes perfect sense, though.”

My phone vibrates again, but I've had enough interruptions for the night. I shove it into my bag, which I then kick under my chair.

"Why don't you just break up with him already? You're obviously not happy with him anymore.”

Ruby's questioning tries to pass itself off as curious and innocent, but there's an underlying seriousness in her tone that doesn’t escape my senses. I let out a long, drawn out sigh.

“Whenever I say he deserves someone better than me, he shrugs it off and says he loves me. It's admirable in a way, which makes me wonder if I'm broken. It's not entirely his fault things turned out like this. I did agree to it back then, after all. But right now, all I could think of is keeping this up for the sake of our families.”

“You sound like a wife justifying her crumbling marriage.”

I groan and drop my head against the table, just hard enough for it to smart a little. But Ruby is being relentless tonight.

“You don't love him, do you?” she asks.

“Well, I don't  _hate_ him...”

I wait for Ruby's response, but for the next few minutes, the only thing I hear is the string band playing covers of famous love songs. I sit up straight when I hear the first notes of Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang. They always play it around seven o'clock, when the number of dining couples is at its peak.

Ruby is glaring daggers at the flower arrangement on the windowsill, her arms firmly crossed over her chest. She scowls even more when she notices my gaze.

“If you've decided to give up on your happiness for the sake of others, don't sound so regretful," she scathingly grouses.

I reach across the table, prying her left hand from where it's squeezed between her arm and her breast. Her palm flushes pink as blood rushes back to her skin. It feels hot to touch as the fingers of my right hand interlaces with hers.

“Are you upset with me, Ruby?" I quietly ask.

“No.” But she's still glaring at the flowers, instead of looking me in the eye.

I move around the table to stand by her side, never letting go of her hand. With my free arm, I wrap her into an embrace. She leans against my chest, and I wonder if she can hear the way my heart beats for her.

"I just want you to be happy, Sapphy," she mumbles. "All this pretending, the double life you force yourself to live with... I hate it."

"I hate it, too," I say, threading my fingers through the fine kinks of her hair. "But nothing terrifies me more than being banned from ever seeing you again. You know how my family is. They'll think that's the way to save my soul from hell." Hot tears run down my left cheek, clashing with the coldness of my skin. I plant a kiss on Ruby's forehead, her curly bangs tickling my nose. "Just a little longer, love. Once we graduate from here, we'll be out, proud, and free."

"Out, proud, and free," she echoes, then says, "I love you, Sapphire." She raises her head to pull me into a searing kiss. It's wet and salty from the tears we've shed, but it's sweetened by the things words cannot express. Full of desire. Full of love. Full of hope for the life we'll have together after everything. This is our covenant, sealed and renewed with each exchanged kiss.

This is love. This is real.

We part momentarily, foreheads still touching, sweet breaths intermingling. My cheeks hurt from the wide grin on my face, and even without opening my eyes, I'm sure Ruby's expression is the same.

"I'm at my happiest when I'm with you," I confess. She responds with a little squeeze on my waist and a little peck on my chin.

“Sapphire?”

I stiffen immediately, my blood running cold at the sound of a voice so familiar, only because I've heard it since the moment I was born. Slowly, I pull away from Ruby, eyes widening as I turn to see my father, still dressed in his Sunday's best, standing a few feet away from our table. His face is awkwardly contorted, as if he cannot decide whether he's shocked, angry, or disgusted at what he's just seen.

And the thing I fear the most unfolds before my very eyes...

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> ["Waiting In Vain" as covered by MYMP, a Filipino band](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU7KQ-IuRy8)
> 
> ["Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang" performed by Freestyle, feat. Pops Fernandez](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7JLwV46Gk)  
>   
> 
> Here's a quick English translation of the lyrics for "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang" off the top of my head. Unfortunately, a lot of nuances of the words got lost in translation. Also, Filipino third-person pronouns are always gender-neutral, so I used "they/them/theirs" here.
> 
> * 
> 
> Why only now  
> Why now, when my heart already has someone else
> 
> If I only knew you were coming into my life  
> Then I would have waited for you...
> 
> Then it could've been you in my arms  
> (It could've always been you in my arms)  
> It would've always been your hand that I hold in mine  
> (It would've been your hand that I hold)  
> And not theirs  
> (And not theirs)  
> And not theirs...
> 
> Why is it only now that you came into my life  
> (Why come into my life just now)  
> Prying open my already closed off heart  
> (Prying open my heart)  
> Are you the one right for me/meant for me/I deserve  
> (Are you the one right for me/meant for me/I deserve)  
> and should I just forget about them  
> (And should they be forgotten)  
> I wholeheartedly want to know, why is it only now that you came  
> (Wholeheartedly want to know, why come only now)
> 
> Ooh... I wholeheartedly want to know, why is it only now that you came  
> (I wholeheartedly want to know, why come only now)


End file.
